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Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

He's a worthless POS and I never want to see him wear blue and gold ever again. Thats all there is to it. He ruined our season once and we gave him another chance. He bent us over and us after we supported him after the brawl. He is a awesome basketball player but a very selfish man. They should suspend him without pay this season, and trade him over the summer. That way he will have went 2 seasons in a row with limited pay. Maybe then he will learn, if not kick him out of the league.

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

if ron comes back, the pacers will start winning again. b/c of that, i would support him again. it's all about winning folks and the team we're playing now isn't cutting it and won't cut it until major changes are made.

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

We weren't exactly tearing the league up with him, either.

The team may still need more changes - nobody said they don't, but bringing back the knucklehead only prolongs the inevitable and would not even guarantee success - if his teammates didn't immediately vote him off the island and/ or take him into the lockerroom and beat the living ***** out of him.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

Is there today ANY chance that Ron comes back to the Pacers?
If he stayed in Indiana I would continue to support the Pacers, I think we should excuse Artest because we know he's very disturbed, even mad and we especially know that he's a great player which Pacers need...

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

The team may still need more changes - nobody said they don't, but bringing back the knucklehead only prolongs the inevitable and would not even guarantee success - if his teammates didn't immediately vote him off the island and/ or take him into the lockerroom and beat the living ***** out of him.

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

Some of the most infuriating losses of the season were before Ron went "Artest".

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Ron Artest has been summoned to a Wednesday morning meeting by the Indiana Pacers, who want to hear from the player himself on whether he is standing in the way of a trade to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic, ESPN.com Insider Chris Sheridan reported Tuesday night.

Artest and his agent, Mark Stevens, were expected to meet Wednesday morning in Indianapolis with team executives Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh with the hopes the trade can be revived.

"In the last month, Ron Artest has been vehemently portrayed in an unflattering manner in the media, specifically in the aftermath of requesting a trade, even after it was made clear that he only spoke out because he believed the Pacers were going to trade him to Sacramento, a place he did not want to go to," Stevens said in a statement to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday night. "Now it has become evident that this trade was not merely speculation but something that has been at least discussed for quite some time.

"Ron Artest did not want to be traded to Sacramento weeks ago, and he does not want to be traded to Sacramento now. Basketball is Ron Artest's passion. In order for Ron to fully demonstrate his natural skills and abilities, to the best of his abilities, he not only must be in an environment that is conducive to his growth an development as a player, he must also ensure that his family is happy and content as well. Ron does not believe that will be the case if he were in Sacramento. Period. However, as mentioned earlier, Ron is deeply committed to the sport of basketball and desperately misses playing the game he loves. If the trade is made he will play for his new team, regardless of how he may feel about it."

Stevens told ESPN's Greg Anthony that he thought Artest needed a stable situation with strong leadership, and that the uncertainty about both Kings coach Rick Adelman's future and the Kings' future in Sacramento indicated a lack of stability that would be uncomfortable for Artest.

Likewise, National Basketball Players Association executive director Billy Hunter told Anthony that Artest had not refused to report to Sacramento, although he had told Hunter of his reservations about the potential trade. Hunter expressed concern about reports that the Pacers might attempt to suspend Artest for playing a role in the Kings' rejection of the trade. Hunter told Anthony that Artest was not culpable for the possible dissolution of the deal because he had expressed that he would accept the trade.

The Pacers and Kings were close to a deal Tuesday, and Stojakovic stayed at the team hotel in Philadelphia when it appeared the trade would be finalized. But a source with inner knowledge of the day's events told Sheridan a call from Stevens to the Kings gave them second thoughts about pulling the trigger, and the deal was temporarily shelved.

"The way I was treated today, I was disappointed," Stojakovic told ESPN.com in Philadelphia. "I feel kind of disrespected with the way I found out. Thank God they have TVs here. I understand being traded, but this situation is weird. I had already planned my flight back to Sacramento, and now everything is reversed.

"I guess this is just a business, but the way I was told and the way I found out, I feel I deserved better from [Kings owners Joe and Gavin Maloof]. Anybody can get traded in the NBA, but the way I found out, it was disrespectful. I deserve better after seven and a half years."

Stojakovic rode the team bus on the two-hour trip to New York after arriving by limo at the Wachovia Center during the second half of Sacramento's 109-103 loss to Philadelphia. The Kings play the Knicks on Wednesday night.

Artest was a key component to a team that was expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference crown. He led the league in steals and was the Pacers' second-leading scorer at 19.4 points a game before being deactivated after publicly requesting a trade in early December.

Stojakovic has been having an unproductive, injury-hampered season for the last-place Kings, whose loss Tuesday was their third in a row. Stojakovic's scoring average is down almost eight points from his All-Star level of two years ago, and the Kings are at risk of losing him with nothing in return when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Indiana has been holding out for more than six weeks for an offer that it deems acceptable. A proposed swap for Corey Maggette fell through because of the Pacers' concerns over Maggette's foot injury, and talks with several other Western Conference teams failed to produce a deal that pleased all parties.

If the Artest trade ultimately falls apart, the Kings will be facing an uncomfortable dynamic with Stojakovic, who has never been traded in his NBA career. During his 10-minute interview with ESPN.com, he seemed bewildered and embittered by the day's events. The two-hour bus ride to Manhattan promised to be an uncomfortable one for Stojakovic and his Kings teammates, who, two hours earlier, thought they wouldn't see him again until the next time they faced the Pacers.

Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
And life itself, rushing over me
Life itself, the wind in black elms,
Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

"In the last month, Ron Artest has been vehemently portrayed in an unflattering manner in the media, specifically in the aftermath of requesting a trade, even after it was made clear that he only spoke out because he believed the Pacers were going to trade him to Sacramento, a place he did not want to go to,"

He may have been mad about the trade rumor, but a true professional would talk with Donnie and Larry behind closed doors. When he came out pubically and asked for a trade he automatically subjected himself to all the scrutiny from the media.

Re: Ron returning to the Pacers?

Some of the most infuriating losses of the season were before Ron went "Artest".

outside of 2 and u might include the 9pt loss to dallas, we were competitive. and i'm not holding competitive down to just the losses we suffered. i'll take 10-6 as opposed to 9-14 any day of the week. yes we were still having some on-court issues, but at least we were winning. thus competitive.